Niger Delta militants have given a month deadline to the Federal Government to shut down all South African-owned companies in the country or there would be unprecedented attacks on the firms and their nationals. The threat was made by members of Niger Delta Watchdogs (NDW), Niger Delta Volunteers (NDV) and Niger Delta Strike Force (NDSF), yesterday. The militants’ threat came after Nigerians were subjected to xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which have led to destruction of property owned by Nigerians. In a letter addressed to the South African Embassy, in Abuja, signed by leaders of the three militant groups, General John…

A new militant group, the Niger Delta Marine Force (NDMF) has told the Federal Government to speed up the peace process in the region or dine consequences with the construction of oil facilities in the area. The group, in a statement sent via electronic e-mail signed by its spokesman, General Benikeme Hitler also warned Total oil producing company to urgently consider massive development of communities in its area of operations or face attacks on its facilities. Hitler declared that if the dialogue between the Federal Government, IOCs and Niger region was not resolved between January 5 and 30, facilities belonging…

The Amichi Anglican Diocese in Anambra State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency for South East roads, most of which are in a deplorable condition. Rising from it synod at Amichi, the Church observed that the condition of the roads was adversely affecting the economic wellbeing of the people of the zone and argued that something positive needs to be done to ameliorate the situation. Of the federal roads in the area, the worst are the Enugu–Onitsha, Aba–Ikot Ekpene and the Onitsha-Nnewi-Amichi-Uga-Okigwe highways, which pass through the diocese. The communiqué, issued after the synod presided…

Released by the United Nations, UN, on Nigeria’s Common Country Analysis, CCA, has revealed a deeply divided society on the basis of the plurality of ethnic, religious and regional identities that had tended to define the country’s political existence. The report also painted a gloomy picture, with most of the development and social indices in the country registering at levels unacceptable. The report, which was read during a consultative meeting on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV (UNDAF IV) for the South East geo-political zone in Awka observed that for decades, different segments of Nigeria’s population had,…

A former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), has described prayer as a formidable weapon that can solve the nation’s many challenges better and faster. Gowon said this in Ibadan on Sunday evening at a one-day prayer rally organised by the South-West Zone of a non-denominational religious group – ‘Nigeria Prays’. The prayer campaign, which had gone round the country in the last 20 years, is spearheaded by Gowon. It is the longest campaign in Nigeria to mobilise people for regular, fervent and result-oriented prayers for the healing and transformation of the country. ‘Nigeria Prays’ is also…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) did not have its mandate to negotiate the release of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and other members. IPOB described the purported negotiation between MEND and the Federal Government as a “kangaroo agreement and a jamboree.” A statement from the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful said the group only accepted the unconditional release of its leaders, insisting that only Kanu can negotiate on behalf of the group. The group vowed not to renounce the struggle for the restoration of Biafra state….

The Nigerian military on Wednesday announced it will launch a series of tactical drills in Enugu from weekend, days after threatening the use of force in neighbouring Niger Delta where militants have attacked oil and gas installations for months. The announcement for the drills, codenamed “Operation Crocodile Tears”, came about 48 hours after the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, warned that the military would resort to force if talks with the militants failed. Mr. Buratai’s warning in Port Harcourt on Monday was denounced by a bloc of militant groups in the region: the Movement for the Emancipation of the…

Separatist group, Niger Delta Avengers, has declared that it will continue to carry out its activities until President Muhammadu Buhari is ready to genuinely address the problems of the region. The group which has claimed responsibility for several pipeline attacks in the Niger Delta warned that it will continue to impede all avenues to export crude oil from the region. NDA claimed that contrary to reports, it was not approached by anybody from the Federal Government when a ceasefire was declared, adding that the government did not create any platform to address the problems of the region, Vanguard reports. The…

Nigeria is to soon start drilling for crude oil in the Lake Chad Basin region, located in the northeast, in what is supposed to boost the country’s output just as efforts to placate militant groups in the Niger Delta appear to have failed, Africa Review reports. The exploitation of oil outside the traditional crude oil stronghold is mean’t to plug the hole created by the destruction of oil and gas infrastructure by the militant groups. Oil drilling in Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states have largely been disrupted by a recent upsurge in insecurity which reduced daily production to almost one…

NDA denies holding talks with govt The Militant group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) has threatened to blow up six flow stations in Bayelsa state over the refusal of the President Mohammadu Buhari to address the issues of development affecting the Niger Delta region. This comes with a revelation from Niger Delta Avenger (NDA) that they have not entered into negotiations with the Federal Government. They said the government is negotiating with a ‘fake group’. The militant group led by Generals Akotebe Darikoro (commander, general duties), Torunanaowei Latei (creeks network coordinator), Agbakakuro Owei-tauro (pipelines bleeding expert) and Pulokiri Ebiladei…

One of the most outstanding features of modern Nigeria is the tendency for the people and their leaders to act as if there was no yesterday. When problems crop up in the country, the usual response will be to behave as if that problem was coming up for the first time; as if the problems suddenly sprang up without their roots in the events of yesterday. For this reason Nigeria keeps going around in circles pretending to solve a problem that will surely crop up again the next day. A song writer from the United States once sang in the…

The Nigerian State, which was created and designed by Britain for her economic gain, was an aftermath of the 1884-1885 European Conference held in Berlin for the partitioning of or scramble for Africa. The interest for the acquisition of Africa – its lands and peoples – followed the “abolition” of slavery and slave trade. Though said to have ended; it has to be clearly stated that slavery continued in a new dimension/fashion which could be regarded as “homeland slavery” and total possession of the peoples of Africa. Theophilus Okere expresses it clearly thus: “The powerful nations of Europe that had…

A call has gone to the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Mr. Mohammed Abubakar from the House of Representatives to arrest Alhaji Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, Leader of Niger Delta Peoples’ Volunteer Front (NDPUF) for saying that there would be war in 2015 if President Goodluck Jonathan failed to win second term. Also to be arrested and quizzed according to the law makers is the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Amnesty, Hon Kingsley Kuku, for allegedly making similar utterance. It would be recalled that in a news conference in Abuja last weekend, Asari-Dokubo said that the current insecurity and…

The defense headquarters and the police have reacted to the purported threat by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to attack Muslims and Mosques. The Director of Defense Information Brigadier General Chris Olukolade has said that counter-terror measures were put in place against all forms of threats and that security agents have been put on alert. “All the counter terrorist measures and arrangements in place to work in collaboration with other security agencies to tackle or respond to any threat are quite capable of handling any attempt by any terrorist to attack or disturb…

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, late this morning spoke about his anguish over the failure by his people to allow the breakaway Republic of Biafra to succeed. Launched in 1967 by the old East under the command of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Biafra was crushed three years after by the Nigerian Government and its international allies. In a post on his Facebook wall around noon, Dokubo regretted the role played by the then so called eastern minorities in sabotaging Biafra. He also cast his vote for an Igbo or Middle Belt person…